CAUSES OF SWOLLEN LIPS

I have the same problem as you. I think that I am allergic to olive oil. You must think on that! When I eat sallad prepered with olive oil, 10 hours later I get swollen upper lip. After that I use hydrocortisone crem 2-3 times and this disapear. Good luck

I think the main thing that needs to happen with anyone who has experienced their lips swelling is to see an allergist. This isn't something to mess around with and needs to be handled by a medical professional.

a couple of things that ive found over the years are triggers for swollen lips...
1. betadine...usually used in surgeries, etc as a disenfectant i think...had some around when we were younger and i used it on a sore and i woke up the next morning with horribly swollen lips...tried it again later to have the same effect...
2. muscle rub or anything that has a cooling or heating type stuff in it...like aloe vera gel with cooling stuff...i found by accident that if i apply any of these and even after washing hands or if i touched the applied area on accident and put my hand near my face my lips swelled...fun fun..

i now have another mystery to solve...sore throat starts up for a couple of days and comes and goes during the day if i talk...then sore lips started up till they felt like there was a flame on them...and this morning i woke up with them swollen till the afternoon, i assume from them being so sore....
but no blisters or sores, no new products or foods, nothing new around me, not on any meds, etc...no logical explanation for this one...

I woke up from a dream where I had a swollen lip, to find out that half (the left half) of my top lip was swollen. It looked like I got botox injection on half my lip. My husband (whom I woke up immediately) said there was nothing wrong with it and he didn't even notice it until I pointed it out. He thought I just wanted a kiss. I called my mom, and she told me to call my Aunt Margo, who is a RN at Lane Memorial Hospital in Louisiana. When I texted her she asked it it tingled or hurt or had a sore, I told her it was swollen, numb, and I think the lip had a sore, but couldn't tell because of the numbness. I could feel it with my tongue, you know like when your lips are peeling from being chapped and my accidentally rip a piece of the skin off and it is raw feeling. Well that is what it felt like with my tongue, and it looked that way in the mirror. I figure I might have bitten it or something, all I know is that it woke me up from a deep sleep, because it was in my dream. Weird I know, but it is true. Anyway my aunt told me that I should get some fever blister medication from Wal-Mart or Walgreen. I doubt it is a fever blister because my husband doesn't have Herpes and neither do I, he is in the military so they get tested at least every 6 months if not more. And well I haven't been with any other person in so long I can't even remember what the guy's name was or what he looked like. If it is HSV-1, a type of herpes, then he has some explaining to do, and I have a divorce, lawyer to call. But on the sites that I have read it says that the virus can be spread by oral contact, some infected persons spit, or even the spit that you naturally spray on people when you talk. Yes we all spit when we talk, it is a fine mist that no one notices, until the one odd person really spits on you when they talk. If that is the case then my husband has it, because well I don't leave the house, I am literally a hermit in my own house, I only go out at night when all the nice annoying people in my apartment complex are all safely tucked away in there apartments. I'm not the most social person in the world, but then again I just don't like the stares I get because seeing me is like seeing a unicorn, it is that rare. Anyway I hope you all might look up HSV-1 and look at the pictures, there is one that looks like the cracked inflamed lips, that one or two of you were concerned about. I'm not judging I am just trying to help. Oh and well the whole swollen lip I had has gone down now, an hour after I woke up with it, weird. It just feels all cooling like when you suck on halls cough drops and you inhale, that cold feeling is what my lip feels like, and just now it went away too. Might be from eating too much salt, or from the hot and spicy bowl noodles, you can find in wal-mart in the asian food isle, or the chips I ate right before bed. I don't know but I won't eat those chips again, because that is the only thing I ate different and they contained a lot of salt, if I eat too much sunflower seeds my lip swells and gets all sore, and raw feeling. So it might be that, just hours later and numb. I hope my random babbling has helped someone.

I have read the many many posts on this topic. I have had this problem for the last 2 months. At any given time of the day I will feel a tingling on a certain spot either on my upper or lower lip and within 5 min my lip is swollen 3 times the size on that spot. It usualy lasts anywhere from 6-12 hours. The first time I called the doctor ( after it happened 3 times in 3 days) He gave me the prednosone pack and it didn't happen for a whole month. Now it started up again and he says I can't be taking that medicine all the time and to take a benedryl when it happens. Well they don't work at all. I called an allergist and have an appointment next week. I have never been allergic to anything in my life. I racked my brain trying to think of something that I've done the same every time this happens and I can't. This morning I was fine when I woke up, came down stairs and made breakfast for my daughter and out of no where I got the tingling sensation and my lip is swollen. I HATE IT !!

I don't think I've seen a post where anyone's mentioned a dermatologist. I'm going in soon for a chemical patch test. I have been to many e.r. visits, many visits with my general practioner, and several appointments with my allergist. We've pretty much ruled out contact dermatitis. Why this thing affects only the lips and why it first gets dry then burns then oozes then cracks and bleeds then flakes dead skin and gets better all within a relatively few days is creepy, but it is also a mystery. It should be on that show "Medical Mysteries," seriously. I would just cautiously suggest that it might be a wise and harmless idea for everyone and anyone who suffers with this "Bozo the Clown" illness to ask your doc for blood work and a chemical test. I'll post my results if it is of any use to anyone.

I too have been plagued by this swollen, red lips syndrome. I have had two episodes a month apart (Oct and Nov). Just so happened to be going to the dentist after the first episode and he prescribed Nystatin salve which did not prevent the second occurence two weeks later. A visit to the doctor the morning of the second episode brought a diagnosis of contact dermatitis and a suggestion to take benadryl. The doctor said he did not believe it was fungal in origin as there were no accompanying signs in my throat or mouth other than a scalded tongue sensation, therefore the Nystatin would not be helpful.

I stopped using all makeup/lipstick, whitening toothpastes, etc. after the first episode so I believe I can rule them out as a cause for the second outbreak. I even got all new toothbrushes. However, one thing that was common to both episodes was that I had some peach schnappes (a tablespoon or two) in some orange juice the night before I woke up with the "clown lip" syndrome. It is a brand made in Bardtown, KY and I had never used it before this lip problem occured. The label does not say it contains sulfites but I do wonder if there is some chemical component, although why does it just affect the lips and not my whole body if it is an allergen? You would think it would make the throat swell too?

The only thing I use on my lips now is petroleum jelly...no makeup, lip balms or lipstick. My lips are dry and sensitive to salty and acidic foods.

I hope that all who have posted to this forum will report back if they have continuing problems.

My lips stared to have very slight cracking 4 months ago and now appears to swell whenever I have had a previous night on any milk products. I have never been allergic to dairy before but I have been told that an allergy can just develop.

A dermatologist in Australia, wanted to do a deep biopsy on my lips but I were not too keen on that idea yet. Another doc I saw also agreed - don't go there yet, as it will leave a bit of a scar.

I also went to a Kineseologist and he did the muscle testing and said I am allergic to all dairy products, so I have to read the labels on everything I eat as so many things contain milk products.

I have has a blood test (RAST) but the only results back so far are for the cheese which came back negative. It takes another week to do the milk test. The doc said that the RAST test is a bit hit and miss though.

The swelling lasts for up to about 3-4 days before it completely goes down, and the redness hasn't yet gone away in the last 2 months. I have been off dairy completely now for 7 days and they are the best they have been, but still not perfect. They say allow a bit more time maybe 2 weeks to get the dairy out of the system.

Hopefully in another week or so it will be completely cleared and never to reappear ever again.

I'm seeing the Kinesologist again tomorrow and the doc in a week to make certain of this allergy - I'll keep you's posted.

I came to this site because of my swollen, oozing, dry lips. I figured it was my eczema which I have had off and on since I was born. I have allergies to cats and dust mites. I'm going to the doctor today as this is the worst I have ever had. It also grosses my co-workers out. Nothing has ever helped and I have been to an allergiest, dermatologist, and family doctors. I'm going to the doctor to make sure it isn't infected. Please check into eczema as that is what could be causing the problem.

My doctor took one look at me and said I had a large cold sore. I never had a cold sore before. The sores are on my upper and lower lips. He prescribed Famciclovir. I hope it helps :-)

Within the last 3 weeks I have had an alternate of top vs bottom lip swelling. The 1st episode was the top lip (swollen), the next episode was a few days later, but the bottom lip. Tonight, it is again the bottom lip.
I never try different foods, same diet/snacks as usual.
When this first happened I tried to figure out what may have caused this. I did purchase a bag of almonds and ate quite a few. Thought I may have developed an allergy to almonds/nuts. I stopped eating them.
Although I have not eaten any almonds or nuts/nut products (e.g. peanut butter) for a week, tonight my bottom lip starting swelling!
I have a Dr. appt. on Saturday. I hope this problem can be diagnosed. But, I cannot see where it is "food" related. It's scary because people with various allergies have had their throat swell & close. That's very scary !

? i was sitten reading a book and my bottom right lip was hurting vary bad and 2min later my lip is the size of Boing 747 (jet plane)little help!

I'm a 64 year old male and I try to eat very healthy. I noticed my lips were getting numb, very red and swollen. The inside of my mouth started shedding layers of skin. It became very painful to eat crackers or toast. I had deep cracks like cold sores on the mouth corners. My doctor gave me a new allergy drug which didn't seem to help a lot. I was putting some Acai berry powder in my Oatmeal in the morning and also some dried cranberries and dried cherries. I also occasionally drank the new V8 berry juice with Acai. I stopped all that and slowly my mouth healed inside. It may have been a food allergy.

Eventually the lips swelling has subsided and the extreme chapping has also subsided. The cracking at the corners has also healed up. I think it was virus and there isn't much you can do about it.

I still have extreme clown mouth with the lower lip affected especially bad. The redness extends down the face about 3/4 inch. looks like I was eating a Pomegranate 24/7.

Any suggestions would be appreciated. I use sweet and low and occasionally honey, always in my oatmeal. No Splenda at all. I avoid sweets except naturals like Dates and dried fruits.

Am following up from my previous post dated 13Nov08.

Have results back from the RAST blood test and it indicates that I'm supposedly not allergic to anything. They also did a whole bunch of other tests and indictaed that i'm one very, very healthy human. But as soon as I experiment and have anything mildly related to dairy my lips swell up. Work that one out!

The doc has prescribed me 'Prednisone' 25Mg and I have no idea why no one has prescribed this sooner. After 4 days my lips were perfect and I could eat whatever dairy I wanted whilst I was on them or up to 3 days after I finished the course. The only drawback is once off the tablets the allergic reaction comes back again. Went back to the doc yesterday and he says I have to slowly wean myself off them. So starting tonight I take another course of these tablets for the next 3 weeks but slowly reduce the amount.

Whether this completely fixes the problem is anyones guess.

Follow up on this previous post. Went to dermatologist and found out that I am allergic to sugarless gum. The red area around my lips is slowly diminishing. I found Carmex to be helpful above all else, for the chapping.



Hope this helps someone. Allergies are strange.